Being a homeowner has been an eye opening experience for us. Before, both of us used to share a 2 bedroom condo with another couple in the city. The 4 of us worked, & shared the cost of rent & utilities. This left us with more money for spending & having fun in the wild city, however, when my partner & I began thinking about the future, both of us knew this was the best market to buy a house. There were so many available, & at a fine price, but using our fine credit scores, both of us secured a acceptable mortgage, & began living in our 3 bedroom condo in a nice area. However, it was not all bliss as the reality of being homeowners began to sink in, however first, both of us had to share the bills multiple ways, & not 4 ways appreciate both of us would when living in the apartment. Then, there were the additional costs of running a house. The people I was with and I were not even aware of the Heating, Ventilation & A/C maintenance which both of us had to do at least twice a year. It was a friend who provided us a full list of the costs that homeowners incur so both of us could start a money management strategy. She told us it was better to pay for a Heating, Ventilation & A/C repair plan than to contact the Heating, Ventilation & A/C business each time both of us had an issue. The repair plan would also include 24/7 emergency maintenance if we’d ever need it & that sounded okay. The people I was with and I also had to check out the cost of services such as ductwork cleaning. It costs an average of $35 to wash each ductwork air vent in a house. This, plus other Heating, Ventilation & A/C costs made us sign up for the repair plan fast.